Susana Martinez Pulls 'Forcible Rape' Language From New Mexico Policy

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez (R) asked her administration to remove language about "forcible rape" from a new state policy on Wednesday after The Huffington Post reported that the language had been added in.

As of Wednesday, New Mexico's Children, Youth and Families Department was considering changes to its child care assistance policy that would exempt only victims of incest and "forcible rape" from having to file child support claims against the absent parent. Domestic violence workers complained that the policy would re-victimize a woman whose rape was not legally considered "forcible," such as a young victim of statutory rape, by forcing her to contact her rapist for child support before being able to qualify for state childcare assistance.

Enrique Knell, a spokesperson for the CYFD, said Martinez directed the department on Wednesday night to remove the word "forcible" from the language.

"It’s redundant, unnecessary, and she doesn’t support its usage," Knell told The Huffington Post.

Knell said the CYFD had used the term "forcible rape" because the FBI still uses it, and it can be found in some federal regulations for the establishment of paternity.

“Rape is rape," said Adriann Barboa, field director with Strong Families in N.M. "Let’s not move backward toward victim blaming."

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Eric Fehrnstrom, senior campaign adviser for Mitt Romney, said on Sunday that issues pertaining to women's reproductive rights, such as abortion and birth control, were "shiny objects" meant to distract voters from the real issues.
"Mitt Romney is pro-life," he told ABC's George Stephanopoulos. "He'll govern as a pro-life president, but you're going to see the Democrats use all sorts of shiny objects to distract people's attention from the Obama performance on the economy. This is not a social issue election."